Detention: In August 2023, at 4 a.m., FSB officers raided the homes of six Crimean Tatars in Bakhchisaray, including Seidamet.

Sentence: As of July 19, 2026, there is no information in open verified sources about a sentence being issued. The Russian Federation accuses Seidamet Mustafayev under Part 2 of Article 205.5 of the Russian Criminal Code ('participation in the activities of an organization recognized as terrorist under Russian law'). Human rights organizations consider the prosecution politically motivated and link it to systemic repression against Crimean Tatars in occupied Crimea.

Seidamet Mustafayev was born on June 18, 1995. He is a Crimean Tatar and a resident of Bakhchisaray. He is married and has four children. Before his arrest, he was actively involved in civic activities and was an activist of the public association 'Crimean Solidarity', which supports the families of political prisoners, highlights political repression, and defends human rights in occupied Crimea.

In 2017, he was sentenced to 10 days of arrest for participating in an unauthorized rally: he, along with other neighbors, went to the house of Seyran Saliyev, where a search was being conducted. In 2021, Mustafayev was detained and fined for violating emergency regulations, and in February 2022, he served several days of administrative arrest for mass simultaneous presence of citizens, which violated sanitary norms and obstructed movement.

After the beginning of the Russian occupation of Crimea, Seidamet Mustafayev regularly supported the families of illegally imprisoned Crimean Tatars, attended court hearings, assisted with humanitarian aid, and participated in civic initiatives. Due to his activism, he repeatedly came under the scrutiny of Russian security forces. During one of the support actions for political prisoners, he was already subjected to administrative responsibility and arrested for several days.

In August 2023, at 4 a.m., FSB officers raided the homes of six Crimean Tatars in Bakhchisaray, including Seidamet. He was taken into custody on charges of participating in the activities of a terrorist organization due to his alleged involvement with the Islamic party 'Hizb ut-Tahrir'. This charge carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison. According to Mustafayev's mother, all detainees were not allowed to see their families for a whole year. Seidamet's family was able to see him only during the trial a year after his arrest, in August 2024. Seidamet Mustafayev himself complained of pressure from the staff of Pre-trial Detention Centre No. 2 in Simferopol.

After his detention, Seidamet Mustafayev was charged under Part 2 of Article 205.5 of the Russian Criminal Code ('participation in the activities of a terrorist organization'). Human rights defenders emphasize that in such criminal cases, Russian investigations traditionally use hidden witnesses, contradictory religious expert assessments, and other evidence that does not meet international standards of fair trial. Ukraine and international human rights organizations view such cases as politically motivated persecution.

After the preventive measure was chosen, Seidamet Mustafayev was placed in Pre-trial Detention Centre No. 1 in Rostov-on-Don. According to the Representation of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, in 2025, the Russian court repeatedly extended his detention. Family and human rights defenders emphasize that prolonged detention without a sentence violates the right to a fair trial and freedom.

As of July 21, 2026, Seidamet Mustafayev remains in custody. There is no information in open verified sources about a sentence being issued or his release. His case remains one of the examples of politically motivated persecution of Crimean Tatar activists in the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea.

Information used from open sources: Representation of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Crimean Solidarity, Crimean Tatar Resource Center, Krym Realii, CrimeaSOS, Ukrinform.

Photo: Memorial.

Update date: 21.07.2026.